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Moving Advice & Life Behind-the-Scenes at HireAHelper

Helper Spotlight: NES Movers of Auburn, Mass.

Nick Ramos’s Winding Road to Success

Nick Ramos is the owner of NES Movers, one of HireAHelper’s many bright stars. Originally from Chile, Nick immigrated to the US when he became old enough to qualify for military service under then-dictator Augusto Pinochet. He landed in New Orleans, where he began a career in retail – a career that was blown apart by Hurricane Katrina. After living out of a temporary shelter Nick was transported to Massachusetts where he began a new career, as the owner of a video game shop. When a national retail chain bought him out he fell into the moving industry where he seems to have finally found a home.

We had the opportunity to chat with Nick Ramos, to get some insights into his moving business success, which he graciously shares with us in the following interview.

HAH: Nick Ramos, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today.

NR: My pleasure.

HAH: Let’s start with how you came to be the owner of a moving business in Boston. Your road was not a typical one, was it?

NR: (Laughs) No, I don’t think so. My first job in the US – in New Orleans – was in retail. I was an assistant manager to a vice president of the company…until Hurricane Katrina came along. After some time living in a shelter I found myself in Massachusetts, living in a home behind a church.

The plan was to return to New Orleans but the area was so devastated I decided to stay in Massachusetts, and opened a video game store. Eventually I sold that business, and then one of my former employees started a moving company. He asked me to work with him one day, I did, and found it fun. So I started my own company.

HAH: Just like that.

NR: (Laughs again). Yeah, easier said than done, right?

HAH: For sure. So what was it like those first weeks and months getting your business off the ground?

NR: The first few weeks of getting the business going was like sailing a boat with no wind. The phone just doesn’t magically ring, it costs money to advertise, and customers are not lining up at your door to hire you.

HAH: What did you do during this time that helped you build momentum?

NR: Well for one thing we signed up with HireAHelper. It’s a great system, where customers can choose from several moving companies using the info on the website like price, location, and most importantly the testimonials of others who have used them.

HAH: What was your first experience with HireAHelper?

NR: Our first experience was a winner. We’ve actually done several moves since then with that first customer.

HAH: Nice. You’ve had a lot of success with HireAHelper. Can you give some of our newer guys who are still trying to create that momentum some advice? Things they should do, or avoid doing?

NR: Yes, definitely. One thing is, always be early getting on the road. Expect a traffic delay and figure that into your travel time. And fill your vehicle with fuel at the end of each day, not on the way to the job. Another thing relates to communicating with the customer. Call them the same day the job is assigned. Then call again the day before their move. And again when you are on the way. One more thing I recommend is to train, train, train, and retrain your crew members.

HAH: Any advice on what not to do?

NR: Plenty. I’d suggest reading the bad reviews of competitors to learn what not to do.

HAH: That’s a great idea. Several great ideas actually. Nick, thanks for taking the time to talk with us and share your thoughts with the HireAHelper community. Continued luck with NES!

NR: Thanks guys.

To date NES Movers have completed 773 jobs through HireAHelper. Out of 324 reviews they have received 318 Five-Star ratings – not too shabby for a guy who started out because he thought moving was fun! We thank NES for their outstanding work and look forward to many more years of success with Nick Ramos and his hard-working crew.